Attachment for submarine boats.



S'. DANENHOWER.

ATTAGHMENT POR SUBMARINE BOATS.

APPLXCATION FILED MAR.5.1.914.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. DANENHOVVER. ATTACHMENT POR SUBMARINE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5,1914.

SLQAN DANEITHWER, OF PELHAM MANOR, YORK.

ATTACHMENT FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented Nov. 17, i914.

Application tiled March 5, 1314. Serial No. 822,563.

To all 'l0/romzft may concern Bc it known that I, SLQAN DANENHownR,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.`

Pelham Manor, in the count-v of Westchester and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Attachments for Submarine Boats7 of Which the following is a specification,

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and ellicicnt method of and ap paratus for salving submarine boats when submerged in extreme depths, that is in depths beyond practical and safe working distances of divers or the escape of the occupants of the boat through the escape hatilies, the apparatus being permanently carried by the boats whereby, in the event or" a boat being sunk and unable to rise through its own resources, the apparatus of another of suoli boats lying at the surface may be operatively connected to the ap paratus of the submerged craft and the surface boat then utilized in raising thesunken craft. sutliciently to permit the crew to escape through the escape hatches without the dan-- gers incident to deep-sea diving or of towing thedisahled bout into shallow water or into port where salvage opera-tions may bc practically carried out, means beingr provided for giving a distress signal which also serves to niark the location of the sunken boat and as a means for communicating with and supplying fresh air to the occupants until more powerful salving apparatus may be procured in the event of the surface submarine being unable to raise the sunken craft.

The invention consists in providing a sub marine boat with hawsers which normally lie on the deck of the boat, said hawsers having' one ond extended respectively through a well formed in ahcl extending vertically through the bow and stern of the boat andprovided with shackles which lie against the,l bottoni of the hull around the edges of the wells and having their opposite ends formed with loops to facilitate the attachment of the hewsers carried by a sister boat, the said loops having lifting lines permanenti),r connected thereto which extend from u tioat detachably held in a pocket formed in the conniug tower or decltfof the boat so thatl when lthe float is detached it will rise and carry one end of the lines to the surface whereby the free ends of, the hawsers may be drawn up thus avoiding the necessity of sending a diver down to the boat when sunk in extreme depths, said float also having an air hose one end of which is extended into and made fast to the boat so that fresh air may be pumped into the sunken boat from the surface, and with telephone wires and connections for establish' ing communication with the sunken boat from the surface.

These and other Vfeatures germana thereto constitute the invention as will be hereinafter fully described and then claimed.

In the drawings, illustrating the. invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Iiigure l is a diagrammatic side elevation of a submarine boat provided with my attachment, parts of the boat being shown in section to illustrate the location of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a similar vie-W lin plan. Y Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a. sunken boat with the loatat the surface. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of solving one submarine with auother such boat. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section drawn through one of the wells formed' in the boat illustrating the clamping devicefor clamping the hawscrs to the boat and the cutting devices for cutting the hawse-rs in case of emergency. Figs. 6 and 7 are horizo tal sections drawn respectively on the lines a-a and b-b of Fig. 5. Fig. `8I is a plan View of one of the shackles carried by the hawsers.

l designates a. submarine torpedo boat of approved design having a superstructure 2, and conning-tower 3. In the bow and stern of the boat are located vertically disposed wells 4 which open through the skin and decl( of the boat and in eachwell is held one end of a haviscr or cable which have their main lengths extended along the top or deck of the superstructure. To the ends of the hau/.sers extended into the wells are attached dogs (i to which are detachably connected shackles 7 having flange base portions 8 of greater diameter than the lower ends of the wells and with cars or lugs 9 which extend into the wells and provided with wrist. pins to which the dogs are connected. The bottoms of thc base portions 8 are ormcd 'with perforated lugs 1G for engageui nt by hooks (not shown) carried by lines (notjshown) for drawing the shackles onto the deelt of the boat. The opposite ends of the hawsers or cables 5 are formed with loops l2 to facilitate the connection of the liawsers or cables of another boat, as will be hereinafter den scribed, and to the loops are connected one end of lifting lines lf3 which extendA from a float lei detachably connected to the boat and which is normally housed in a pocket l5 formed in the conning-tovver or in the deck of the boat., To the float is connected one end of an air-hose 16 having its opposite end extended into and made fast with the boat and through which fresh air may be pumped into the boat to succor the crew while the salvage operations a being carried out. The float also carries telephone wires (not shown) for establishing coaimunication between the boat and the surface. ln practice the lifting lines and air-hose will be Wound in the bottom of the housing as shown in Fig. 1, and the telephone Wires willbe arranged in the hose. Each Well l 1s com structed in sections which are connected together and to the skin of the boat air and Water-tight and are constructed to withstand a pressure equal to that for which the main hull is designed. The top flanges of the upper sections oi the wells are connected to the u nder side of the Yhull plating While 6Vt/strands of the cables and thus positiveiy the lower langes of the bottom sections are connected to the outside of the hull and to facilitate the fitting of the said lower sections to the boat l taper then sufficiently so that the periphcries of the top flanges will be of practically the same diameter as the lower ends of the tubular body section of the members. This construction permits of the insertion of the upper llanges througli the holes in the hull and at the saine time permits the peripheries of the said lower members to lie snugly against the edges of the openings and thus provide a tln'iroughly rigid connection.

In the upper ends of the wells are arranged clamps for `fastening the haivsers to the boat and which comprise sections 17 and movable co-acting sections 18 the latter being carried at the outer ends of threaded shafts lil which operate in threaded bores `orn,..=.l in stalling boxes formed upon or integral with and upon the outside of the Wells, the inner ends of the shafts being provided With hand Wheels 2l. by which the shafts are rotated to adjust the movable members of the clamps toward or away from the fixed members thereof. rThe movable members are provided with short pins 22 which Work in sockets formed in the stuffing-boxes to prevent the movable inembers from turning on their shafts and the outer faces of the lined and n'ioi'able niembers are formed with vertical grooves which are filled with Babbitt metal so that when the movable members are adjusted to clamp the cables or han'sers between them and their (zo-acting fixed members the metal will be forced into the grooves betweenA the Lumen prevented from slipping when strain is placed upon the cables.

In the lower ends of each Well is arranged acutting device for cutting the C- bles or hawsers in case of emergency and these cutters comprise a fixed member 23 having cutting edges 24, and movable me1nbers 25 carried by threaded shafts 26 which operate in stulling boxes 27 formed integral= with or connected to the outside of the lower sections of the wells, handles or hand-wheels 28 being connected to the linner ends ofthe shafts by which they are rotated to adjust the movable members'into and away from the fixed members, and the sal l i ovable members are also provided with guide pins 29 to prevent them from turning similar'to the pins carried by the movable members of the clamps. l

lVhere my invention installed upon boats having superstructures that extend practically throughout the full length of the main hulls l arrange pipes 30 in the space formed by the superstructure which pro-y vide extensions oi the wells as shown [in Fi 5,*and it will be understood that the after wells are extended through the keels of the boats for obvious reasons.

The method of operating my invention is as follows: We Will assume that a boat is disabled while cruising with a fleet of submarines and is lying on the'bott'om in say feet ot' Water. Y aident the .lloat is released'l which immediately rises to the surface which not only enables those on the boats at the surface to quickly locate the sunken craft but also to establish communication with the same and if necessary to pump quantities of fresh air into it. When the float is picked up by the boat on the surface the haw-sers of the latter are withdrawn from the Wells by irst lowering the shackles so that a line may be made fast thereto to draw them Aunto the decl; of the boat Where the shackles are detached from the cables so that they may bewithdrawn from the wells. The cables or hawof the sunken craft are then drawn to the surface by their lifting lines and passed upwardly through the wells of` the surface l boat and attached to suitable floats or buoys 30 and the latter then positioned over the tops of the yvells, the hatches of the boat at the surface are thenpcloscd and locked lafter which water ballast admitted to the ballast tanks to submerge the boat, to say ten feet, and as the boat sinks and the Water surrounds the buoys 30 they will be floated to thus hold the cables or haivsers elevated so that the rescuing boat will slide down them so to speak. New Whe-attire desire-d depth has been reached the clamps are made fast to the cables, the ballast tanks then blown to restore the buoyancy oi"V the rescuing boat to thus determine if the latter On the irst sign of ac-k possesses sufficient buoyancy to overcome the dead weight of the sunken boat and to lift it from the waterbed. Should this condition prevail water-ballast is again admitted to the'tanks to suhinerge the boat to a greater depth to obtain a grip on the cables or hawsers nearer the sunken boat. When this operation is completed the tanks are again blown to restore the buoyancy ot the rescuing boat which will rise to the surface and then proceed under its own power into port or into shallow water with the disabled craft suspended under it and where the crew of the boat may escape and the work of salvage more conveniently carried out.. This operation is exceedingly simple and while described in Connection with a rescuing suhmarine it will be evident that any surface vessel provided with sntiicientl'y powerful hoisting apparatus could as effectively raise the sunken submarine boat provided the latter carried my improved attachment. and in this connection it might be stated, that theI floats or luioys will be provided with such data to state the cause of their presence on the surface, so that, it' discovered hy any surface vessel Comunication may he estalilished with the sunken boat to ascertain if life exists on hoard, the necessity of urgent assistance, and so forth, hetore coinn'iunira tion is established with the nearest authorities torthe despatfhi an available resening submarine or othV salvage hoat. llowever, when a hout ifinks to much greater depths, say to 230 feet, the salving operations as above described would he impractit'ahle since the inherent dil'liculties attendant upon working at such depths render the operation extremely slow and fraught with many dangers both to those imprisoned in the sunken boat and to the divers. With the use of my invention, however, w hen a boat sinks to such depths the hawsers are drawn upvas previouslyv described and their hauling lines made fast to the cleats on the deck of the -rescuing submarine, the shackles of the hawsers of the said boat are then detached and the hawsers then lowered to the tops of the hawsers ot the sunken boat this being readily done Ioy slipping the lifting lines throu h the loops ot the liawsers so that they will slide on the lines, a diver then is sent down either from the rescuing submarine boator from a Asurface vessel to make the dogs of the lowered hawsers fast with the hayvsers of the sunken boat, then as previously Adescribed floats are attached to the upper ends ot the hawsers and the submarine submerged, a grip taken on the hawsers, and the tanks then blown to restore the buoyancy of the rescuing boat to thus lift the sunken boat so that it may be towed into shallower water where1 the operation. is repeated until the hout is moved into waters shallow enough to permit the crew of the disabled boat to escape without unnecessary danger and where the s-:alvage operations may lie carried out to better advantage. It will thus lic seen that my apparatus and my method ol' salving submarine boats is extremely simple, and requires but a comparatively short time to carry out the operation, and ono which may lie readily installed upon boats at little cost.

Suhmarine boats equipped with my' apparatus 'will he independent ot salvage vessels since they are capable of rendering aid to one another wliieli is of inestimable advantage-especially when operating at sea distant from port, and ewn though a hout may he sunk :n waters below diving; depths the liawsers of the sunken vessel may he drawn near enough to the surface to pcrmit a diver to work so that the havvsers of the suceoring1y hoot may ne attached to those of the sunken hout to raise and comey the latter into shallow water as previously described liiirthermore during the fsaliage operation the air iineol tl vandien hoat may he connected to the air-line ot the surface boat so that fresh air may he supplied t the disabled craft and the lives on hoard the latter thus ained until the boat is moved into waters shallow enough to permit the vrew to e ape lt muy also lie stated 'that ewn should the res ning; hoat not have Sullicient reserve huoyaneg, to litt the disalrled hout to the surface it only, at le: -t, reduce the dead weight sulieiently o permit ot the lioat heilig dragged over the bottom into challow water.

l. A hoistii'ig attachment tot raising sunken suhi'narine heats` lfomprising in Conil liination with a sulnnai'ine hoat having a well in the how and stern thereof, hawsers carried on the. deck o' the boat, each liawser having one end extended into one of the wells and provided with a dog and its opposite `end provided with a loop, and a shackle connected to nach dog and engaging the ,hull of tlie'hoatf. Y d

il, A hoisting attachment for raising sunken submarine boats. comprising in ooml hination with a submarine boat haring a well in the how and stern thereof, hawsers carried. on the deelt of the boat, each hawser having one end extended into one of the wells and provided with a dog and its opposite end provided with a loop. a shackle connected to each dog and engaging the hull of the lioat, and a clamp arranged in each well operable from within the hout..

3. A hoisting `attachment for raising sunken sulnnarine boats, oomplising in combination with a sulunarine boat having a well in the how and stern thereof, hawsers Carried on the deck ot the boat7 each hawser having one end extended into one of said wells and provided with a dog and its opposite end provided with a loop, a shackle connected to 'eat-n dog and engaging the hull of the boat'. and a fioat having a lifting line connected to each of said loops, said fio-at being detachebly connected to said boat, as and for the purpose specified 4. A hoisting attachment for .raising sunken submarine boats, comprising in conn binntion with a submarine boat having a Well in the bow and stern thereof extending vertically through the hull, hawsers carried on the deck of the boat, each hawser having one end extended into one of said wells and provided with dogs and having its opposite end provided with a loop, a shackle detachably connected to each dog and engaging the hull, a hawser clamping device arranged in each well and operable from within the boat?I a hawser cutting device also arranged in each Well and operable from Within the boat, a float detachably connected to the boat, and lifting lines carried by the float and connected to the loops of said hawsers.

5. An improved attachment for submarine boats for raising and succoring a sunken submarine bont by and from a submarine boat Heating at the surface, comprising in combination with submarines having wells extending through the hulls thereof, hawsers or cables carried on the decks of the boats, each hawser having one end extended into one of the vwelle of its boat and provided with shackles which engage the bottom of the hull, floats detachably connected to the boats and having lifting lilies connected to said hawsers, ,for the purpose submarines having wells extended thx-cu h the hulls thereof, hawsers carried on t e decks of the boat each hawser having one end extended into one well of its boat end having shackles detachably connected to said ends and loops formed on the opposite ends, a float detachabiy connected to each boat, lifting lines carried by said floatsand connected to the hawsers of their boats, ai`r--- supply hose carried by the floats, and hawser clamping devices arranged in/ aid wells for locking the banners from a su ken boat to a surface boat, seid clamping devices being operable from within the boats, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7 In a submarine torpedo boat, a Well formed in the bow and stern thereof adepted for holding a hau/ser or liftin cable, a hawser clamping device arrange in each Well and operable from Within the boat, and a ha'wser cutting device also arranged in each well and operable rom within the boat,

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand this yflth day of March, A. D. 1914.

SLOAN DANENHOVER.

Witnesses:

JAMES Pnasn, ROBERT A. Ensae. 

